Saturday, April 17, 2010

If you know someone from Buffalo, they know someone who told them the secret ingredients to the Anchor Bar's famous Buffalo chicken wings. I know people from Buffalo. This is my version, as described to me many years ago, over almost as many beers.

Now that we've established it's absolute validity, I should tell you, I'm not a huge fan. Just because a recipe is authentic, doesn’t mean it's a great recipe. Don't get me wrong, I've never turned down plate of Buffalo-style chicken wings, I'm just saying there are about 20 wings sauce recipes I like better (like the ones I've already posted on the blog - see below)

Having said that, people really seem to love these, and I encourage you to give them a try. The wings are always fried in Buffalo, but a really hot oven works just fine.

70 comments:

Hey Chef, these look really amazing. Definitely going to give them a whirl. I'm from Canada and a bunch of us drive down to Buffalo, a few times a year, just for the chicken wings. We go to a place called Gagster's, maybe you've never heard of it but their wings look a lot like the ones you made there.. this might save us a 2hr trip :P

I gotta admit, I prefer oven-baked chicken wings at home over deep-fried, weird as that sounds. They just turn out better. Easy cleanup and being healthier doesn't hurt either. Better than a poke in the eye, I tell ya.

Is the blue cheese sauce just a bottled dressing, or is there an "authentic" recipe for that too?

Also, as a Western New Yorker, have you ever tried/used Speedie Sauce grill marinade? It's from Binghamton.

Sorry for what will be a lengthy comment but this recipe has put me in a quandary!

I cannot lie. I had doubts, Chef. A stick of butter? Extra vinegar? Tabasco and cayenne?

But, I reminded myself of two things: 1) You're a chef, not my doctor, and 2) You've not "stirred" me wrong yet. Armed with pure, fresh butter straight from a local farmer, I dove in.

Remembering that I live where salt and pepper are considered "spicy," I cut this recipe in half and made half exactly as directed. In the other half I used green tabasco sauce (for the sweetness) and, instead of cayenne pepper, I used 1 tsp brown sugar.

Both turned out great. Even all the spicier wings were eaten by the fussy work crowd. They said the "burn" was a small price to pay for the flavor.

The quandary? Now everyone at works expects me to feed them once a week since I've shared six of your dishes now. This is not good... or cheap. It might be cheaper to just give them a copy of your cookbook when it comes out.

Unortunately I can't get any Frank's Hot Sauce where I live. Is there any way to emulate it? I also can't do your fantastic-looking Sticky Ginger Garlic Chicken Wings because I lack the Frank's Hot Sauce :(

For those who don't have access to Frank's Red Hot Sauce (for which you have my sincere sympathies), here's the very short list of ingredients from the bottle (which are listed in the order of what's most used in it to what's least used): Aged Cayenne Red Peppers, Vinegar, Water, Salt and Garlic Powder.

If you play around with these ingredients, it should be a consistency not much thicker than water, very vinegary, very light garlic, and a darker, dull red color. You may not know what it should taste like, but you may come up with a flavor you like.

I have been a fan of yours from the day i have found your site. I love all of your recipes. Couple of days ago i was wondering why chef john has all the recipes but the hot sauce for chicken wings and there you are with the recipe as if you heard me through telepathy. Thank you so much.

So, as i was starting to watch this recipe i was surprised to see you called for franks bottled hot sauce and i thought to my self didn't chef john known for making everything from scratch or may be he was in a hurry.

I just want to let you know chef that there are so many fans in the other part of the world cooking and enjoying you recipe like me who (couldn't get franks bottled hot sauce and) has no choice but to cook everything from scratch.If you are in a hurry, at least please post a link or type your recipes which you substitute for ready-made stuff. It will be so helpful for your fans like me who live in other parts of the world.

Finally! Thanx sooo much! I may have lied when I said I made Clifton wings because I just used some local hot sauce brand. Not sure about the difference that this Frank's sauce would bring, but what I made was super delish! I think using some other brand may not bring the same results but it should be good. I will try JP's recipe for buffalo wings. Also googling for proportions.

Great recipe! In my house we like to use the same process and ingredients with 1 exception - we use drumsticks! It's a great alternative and if you're a buffalo freak like me it gives you 1 more option consume the tasty sauce!

Used to go to a dive bar in Tempe, AZ back when I was at ASU (early 80's) and they used the Franks and butter but also added 2/3's of a packet of dried Italian Seasoning to the mix (guess it replaces the vinegar.) Fry wings and drain. Then dip into sauce with seasonings. Bake at about 325 for 12 minutes or so. Still use it today. Next time will use a shot of Tobasco and/or cayenne to up the heat. Excellent article and thanks!

I am 8 months pregnant and can not stop eating these wings! They have been my number one craving. The sauce always turns out perfect, but the one thing I have yet to perfect is a crispy skin. Is there a trick to getting it crispy in the oven?

My favorite thing about this recipe is all the butter. I am trying to follow the Weston Price Diet for Pregnant and Nursing Moms, which recommends 4 Tbs of butter daily. Thanks for helping get in all of that healthy goodness!

I made this, and it was delicious. I have tried other ratios of franks to butter, such as 2:1 and 3:1 but it was never quite as good as this. If you want it spicier, just use 3:2 ratio with extra cayenne and Tabasco. I deep fried on 375 for 12 minutes and they were crispy. I think the flour + hot sauce = soggy mess.

To make crispier wings in the oven: Hit them with some salt about an hour before hand, then dry them off completely with paper towels and cook at higher heat 425 - 450 degrees. Pour the grease off halfway through cooking so they don't sit in fat and get soggy. The mini brine procedure allows them to stand up to heat w/out drying out and the skin gets crispy.

Chef John, let me say the wings I just made following your Clifton Springs cooking method and this Buffalo Sauce are the BEST I'VE EVER HAD! Now I love wings and eat them quite often out but have never attempted to make them until now. WOW! I picked up 5 LBS of meaty wings and they came out amazing! I did use flour AND potato flakes for extra crunch. I'll never look at restaurant wings or box wing shops the same!

Thanks for all of the amazing recipe's, my family and friends wonder how I turned into a gourmet chef. It's because I found FoodWishes.com!!

I live in regional Australia so there are no stores that stock Frank's anywhere near me. I also didn't have time to order Frank's online, because I woke up this morning and decided today was the day to make Buffalo wings. Going on a tip from YouTube, I instead bought Cholula hot sauce in a 150ml bottle (which approximates 2/3 c.). I've just finished mixing up the wing sauce and it tastes almost precisely like it would with Frank's! I think the Cholula has a slightly smokier flavour, but the heat and richness and basic taste are essentially the same. I'll probably order some Frank's to have on hand for next time, though, just because that's what I grew up with.

So there you go Aussies (or expats living Down Under), if you can't get your hands on Frank's you can try Cholula with confidence.

All the recipes that you have posted on your website are amazing,I am a person who has never cooked before so when I decided to stay home and become a housewife I had no idea how to cook but when I found your recipes on All recipes website I decided to start cooking dinner for my family.

I am so happy that the first time I decided to follow one of your recipes my family enjoyed the food. Since then I feel as if I have a personal culinary teacher right by my side on my screen guiding me. I still constantly follow your recipes as I cook often for my family and they continue enjoying your recipes.

All the recipes that you have posted on your website are amazing,I am a person who has never cooked before so when I decided to stay home and become a housewife I had no idea how to cook but when I found your recipes on Allrecipes website I decided to start cooking dinner for my family.

I am so happy that the first time I decided to follow one of your recipes my family enjoyed the food. Since then I feel as if I have a personal culinary teacher right by my side on my screen guiding me. I still constantly follow your recipes as I cook often for my family and they continue enjoying your recipes.